Clothes hanger



1 24, 1947- J. P. NISKANEN 2,422,345,

CLOTHES HANGER Filed May 26, 1946 Y INVENTOR. John P. Nislranen A TTORNEY Patented June 24-, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLOTHES HANGER John P. Niskanen, Detroit, Mich; Application May 23, 1946, Serial No. 670,872

Claims. 1

My invention pertains to a clothes hanger which combines means for suspension of garments by clamping upon them, with means on which other garments may be imposed for sup port.

A further purpose is to provide a hanger in which the weight of the imposed garment or garments, will tend to secure a firmer grip on the clamped articles of apparel.

Another object of my improvement is to pro vide a garment hanger which is simple in construction, and. which may be made economically, but which owing to its novel features, will be eflicient and reliable.

I shall now describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my hanger;

Fig. 2 is a top elevation of my said hanger;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional View of my hanger, taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. l is a side elevation of my hanger with parts thereof in a folded condition.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the main, my hanger includes what may be called a clamp suitable to be clamped upon such articles of apparel as trousers, skirts, etc., and foldable means adapted to support shoulder portions of garments such as coats. The clamp com rises two elongated fiat members It! and l disposed parallel to each other, one of said members, namely member ll being in a hinged relation to the first named member iii. In order to efiect the hinged relation, member [8 is provided with two posts 52, made of wire and extending upwardly from the narrow side thereof. At the top, each post turns in the direction of member ii, and then outwardly towards the respective end of member iii, parallel thereto, the parallel length of wire being marked l3.

Member H is provided with similar posts licorrespondingly spaced from each other, and each ending in loop l5, coiled around said wire length l3 as it extends from post l2. The loops serve as hinges, making it possible to swing member ll towards or away from member Iii, the two members being opposite elements of the clamp as best shown in 3, wherein numeral H includes a garment clamped between said members. Both, posts it and posts it, are provided with loose sleeves Hi acting as rollers. It will be noted that posts 22 and posts it are not disposed parallel to each other but are set at a slight diverging angle. The reason thereof will be explained presently.

I shall next describe the folding shoulder supports above referred to. Each of the supports comprises an elongated arm l8, made of a continuous length of wire, bent upon itself in the manner of a hair pin, each leg of the hair pin formation including a twist to produce an eye lfiand terminating in a prong 26, Each of the eyes embraces a transversely positioned shaft 2| which is held in place by an extension of post I2, said extension being looped around said shaft as indicated by numeral 22. A continuation of said extension forms a substantially arched span 23 leading to the other end of the clamp. At a point midway its ends, the span is equipped with a suspension hook 24.

The two prongs 26 of each arm. serve as a forked lever so that the individual prongs hear from opposite sides against rollers IS on posts I and I l, respectively, urging individual members l0 and l 1 towards each other as best shown in Fig. 3.

The manner in which the hanger may be used, is as follows: Assuming that a garment such as a pair of trousers, is to be clamped between members ill and H, arm i8 is swung upwardly from its position shown in solid lines in Fig. l, to a position shown in dotted lines and indicated by numeral I8a. As a result thereof, prongs 20, which normally bear from opposite sides against rollers :6, are disengaged therefrom, and members I6 and It are free to be spread apart for insertion of a garment between said members. Thereupon arm l8 fulcrumed at 2! is swung downwardly causing prongs 29 to engage from outside rollers [6 on posts i2 and 14, causing the members on which said posts are mounted to clamp upon the garment and to prevent the members from coming apart. As arms [8 extend outwardly in opposite directions they may suitably support such garments as coats, the weight of the garments so supported contributing to hold arms E8 in their downward position thus aiding prongs 28 to remain in place.

It will be obvious that some changes may be made in the structural design of my clothes hanger, without materially deviating from the inventive principles shown herein.

What I, therefore, wish to claim, is as follows:

1. A clothes hanger of the kind described including a clamp comprising two elongated flat members each disposed normally in a vertical plane and being in a hinged relation to each other, and a foldable arm at each end of the clamp, said arm being adapted to be swung down from a substantially vertical to a substantially horizontal position, each arm including a forked lever to cause the members of the clamp to be forced towards each other, when said arm has been swung to its horizontal position.

2. A clothes hanger of the kind described including a clamp made up of two flat members each being normally disposed in a vertical plane and one being parallel to the other, two spaced wire posts rising from the narrow side of one of the members, two similarly spaced posts rising from the narrow side of the other member and hinged to the first named posts, an arm pivotally mounted at each end of the clamp and including a forked lever adapted to engage frictionally the posts on the respective members from two opposite sides to cause the members of the clamp to be forced towards each other longitudinally, and wire means to suspend said clothes hanger.

3. A clothes hanger of the kind described, including a clamp made up of two elongated fiat members disposed parallel to each other, two wire posts rising from the narrow side of one of the members and similarly spaced posts rising from the other member and hinged to the posts first named, a pivoted arm at each end of the clamp in the plane thereof, the arm including a forked lever to engage the posts at the respective end of the clamp to cause the members of the clamp to be forced towards each other, said arm being adapted to be swung upwardly to disengage the lever from the posts to spread the clamp members apart.

4. A clothes hanger including a clamp made of two elongated fiat members longitudinally opposed and in hinged relation to each other, a pivoted arm at each end of the clamp and in the plane thereof, the arms extending in opposite directions, each arm including a forked lever responsive to the weight of garments on the arm to urge the opposed members of the clamp towards each other.

5. A hanger of the kind described including a trouser clamp composed of two elongated, flat members in a hinged relation and longitudinally opposed to each other, two arms extending from the clamp in opposite directions, one arm being pivotally mounted at each end of the clamp to swing down in the plane thereof from its inoperative and substantially vertical position to its operative and substantially horizontal position, each said arm including a lever to cause the members of the clamp to be forced towards each other when the arm has been swung downwardly to its operative position.

JOHN P. NISKANEN. 

